Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Craigslist Tips

Craigslist is a mysterious place where you can found great treasures...and some not so great...;) I always get a chuckle at some of the things people will put on there...And even some of the categories....Who would try and find love on Craigslist? Well, it is available for free...Who needs E~Harmony or Match.com...when you have Craigslist...Okay, I am being mean...And if you have found true love on Craigslist...Pardon me...;)

I have found some wonderful things on Craigslist...And have sold on there, as well...I have seen some VERY expensive items on there that are ridiculously inexpensive...I think people put things on there when they really need money...Which is a great thing for us stalkers! I wanted to give you some tips you can use when you are dealing with Craigslist....

Screaming Meme's Tricks Of The Trade

Find an item~email the seller with the embedded blue address in the ad...If there is a number on the ad, you may want to call, instead...Wait for the seller to contact you...ask all the Q's you have and see how much they want for it...and then dothe ole' Screaming Meme trick...email back and ask for a lower price...Shameless! ;)

Establish a relationship~ No, I am not saying a "relationship", like we discussed above...Please, get your head out of the gutter and work with me here...;) Send a few emails andask Q'sabout the item you are interested in...Make sure you get all your Q's answered correctly, so that you are not wasting either of your time... Here are a few Q's I ask for...If the photos are not good, I ask for better ones...with more angles...It saves you BOTH time and gas money... I ask where the furniture has been stored...Outside or in...How long? It is a VERY important Q...Along with has it been in a smoke or pet environment...If so, is there any smells or pet stains {did I mention smells?}?

Payment~cash, Pay Pal, so on...NEVERwire money or use an escrow service....And payONLY when you receive your furniture...Duh?

Scams~This is aBIG one for me...I am not one to fell into a rabbit hole, though I do wish I wasAlice In Wonderland...I want to be friends with Johnny Depp, I mean the Mad Hatter ;)...He is a good friend to have...And quite funny, which all of you who read my blog know ILOVEfunny...;) Okay, back to the SCAMMERS....Read between the lines...if they are being vague about the price, the pick up location, or the item itself...Email them and be direct about what you want and what you are willing to pay and the location you are going to pick up the item...And remember they may be being vague because they are feeling you out...If they don't get back to you or are still acting flaky, I think it is best to cut that one loose...Walk away...That simple...Your time and your life for that matter is more important than a fab deal, anyday...ALWAYS go with your gut...And if you are going to look or pick up an item...PLEASE, don't go alone... If you find a scam on Craigslist, please flag it...All you have to do is push the flag link on the right of the page...BUT, don't get all flag happy and flag everything you see...Flag with care, as they say on CL...;)

Get their digits~email is one way...but I like tohear a voiceon the other end of the line...I actually bought, I mean adopted Emily, our Golden Retriever, on CL...{I hate to refer to buying a pet...They are family...Adopt is so much better, don't you think?} I got her digits before taking my very strong, tall and handsome 18 yr. old along for the ride to pick her up...Just in case, someone wanted to steal me...I mean I am a piece of work...Or that is what people tell me {Is that an insult?} Who wouldn't want to steal a Screaming Meme?

Buddy System~ As I said earlier...bring a friend along to be with you...If you can't find a friend {or have no friends :0}...Bring a cell phone along for the ride...Call someone as you are arriving to let them know you are going in...Give them the addy and how long you think the deal will take {I'm starting to get paranoid...am I freaking you out? lol Safety first...there is only one you} And have them call you or you call them...Or have them stay on the phone...I always let the seller know I am bringing a friend along...Remember you are working with cash a lot of times...don't be afraidtosay NO! If you don't want to go down in the dungeon or basement...Have them bring it up...For pete's sake... {I have always wondered who Pete was anyway...} Most of the time if it is a small or light item...they can bring it out...I am a scaredy cat...BUT, obviously not scared enough to stop thrifting and dumpster diving!!!lol

Tips{You probably didn't think of}~*search other words that describe what you are looking for...everyone calls something differently from the next...*search misspelled words...People misspell common words and don't check their misspelling before posting an ad...Which is great for us because less traffic to that post...hehe! *Check the free stuff under "For Sale" or search for "Curb Alerts"....That is for all myDumpster Diving Divas out there! I got your backs! ;) *Bartering...Think about bartering on there...though I have never done it...it sounds interesting....

Here is my lampshade that I will be selling along with a few other decorating and furniture items on CL in the next few weeks...It is a lampshade that I had purchased at a high end boutique shop in Fredericksberg, TX...I am moving the lamp to a new area in my home and the lampshade unfortunately will not work...It is made from Burberry fabric and a fun mix of materials...If you are interested in purchasing it...email me @ screamingmemedesigns@gmail.com ...It measures 12 in. by 10 in. at the bottom and 6 in. by 4 in. at the top...I am asking $30.00 plus shipping...I work through Paypal...I will also be selling a PB style full size black cottage bed for a kid(boy or girl)/teen room and a PB style full size metal kid(boy)/teen headboard (very cool) with matching dresser and side table...A Walnut coffee and end table....Along with a few other furniture and decor pieces...If you are in the Houston area...You can pick it up...

Those are some of the best tricks I have got...Do you have any to add to the list? It is always important to be safe in anything we do...We have family's who need us and lifes to enrich...When you are out in the public...whether going to look at a piece of furniture on CL or going shopping at your local mall...Be aware of your surroundings and always think before you act...I want all my followers to stay followers...this post is to make you more aware...

If you have not heard aboutSCREAMING MEME'S BIGGESTGIVEAWAY...Please make sure you scroll down below and check it out...It is a giveaway that I hold close to my heart...Screaming Meme is a very important part of who I am...so, I am giving a piece of that away...Andfinding a special person to give it to is soo fun! You all are making it very hard! I have had some great emails, ladies...I think all of you are amazing and very talented women...Thank youfor coming into my Screaming Meme life...I love this blog... I think that my life has been enriched because of "her"...I meet women thatinspire meto be the best woman I can be...and I get to be myself in the process...Before I start sounding like a beauty queen contestant, I shall stop...lol

13 comments:

GREAT Tips girl...I have a car on Craigslist right now...but I don't have it here but at a friend's place because I don't want to deal with the tire kickers...Hope you have a GREAT day my friend...hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

Great tips! Thanks for sharing Meme! I have missed you and look forward to getting all caught up on your blog! I have been trying to find you on Facebook...I am, "Denise Johnson Kofford" and would love to reconnect. Happy Wednesday!

Ah, love the lampshade. If it didn't have a rooster I would have emailed you for it. I'm sure it will go fast though! Good tips here; I know that is some of the stuff I worry about with Craigs List. I just used it this year for the first time to sell furniture and even as a seller I was wary.

Love the tips! You're so helpful. We are fortunate enough to have an on-line classifieds in our area that's even easier to use than craigslist. But my daughter has bought several wonderful items off craiglist. It's a great resource, especially if one follows your tips.

HI MEME ...... I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD ONE MORE WORD OF CAUTION FOR PICKING UP ITEMS ON " CRAIGS LIST " OR FOR THAT MATTER ANY LIST ...... CHECK THE ITEMS THOROUGHLY FOR BUGS !! YES YOU HEARD IT RIGHT ..... I WAS WATCHING A SHOW ON HGTV ONE AFTERNOON AND THIS WAS ONE PRECAUTION THEY ADVISED THE BUYER ABOUT ..... THESE PESKY LIL' CRITTERS HIDE THEMSELVES REALLY WELL ( UNDER THE FURNITURE IN AND UNDER THE DRAWERS AND IN CREVISES ) CHECK THE PIECES REAL WELL !! OK NOW THAT EVERYONE IS ALL ITCHY AND PARANOID I WILL BE CLOSING ...... ALL KIDDING ASIDE ... THE SHOW TOLD A STORY OF A LADY WHO BOUGHT A PIECE OF FURNITURE ( HEAD BOARD ) AND TOOK HOME BED BUGS !!SO IN ORDER TO AVOID A CATASTROPHE CHECK FOR BUGS !! : ) P.S. I JUST LOVE YOUR BLOG AND THE FURNITURE PIECES YOU HAVE POSTED ARE REALLY NICE YOU WILL DO A GREAT JOB WITH THEM YOU ARE VERY TALENTED !!

Enjoyed you tutorial about Craig's List. I haven't ever bought from them. There was a house renting scam here in the Atlanta area not too long ago through a Craig's list add. My daughter sold a rug I gave her on Craig's list since I didn't want it back and it was too large for her room. She made $150 off of me in one day.

Hello, Just wanted to tell you first thank you for stopping by my blog. I have been here enjoying yours and reading all the good tips for Craigs list...I think I will go check that out also..Have a wonderful day. I'll be back visiting.Jolyn